Converse College

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Converse College
Established 1889
Type Women's College
Endowment $51.5 million[1]
President Elizabeth A. Fleming
Students 1,938
Undergraduates 773
Postgraduates 1,165
Location Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
34°57′16.59″N 81°55′01.51″W / 34.9546083°N 81.9170861°W / 34.9546083; -81.9170861
Colors Purple and Gold
Sports Basketball, Soccer, Cross Country, Tennis, Volleyball, Swimming, Lacrosse, Equestrian
Mascot Valkyries
Affiliations Conference Carolinas
Website converse.edu


Converse College is a liberal arts women's college in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. It was established by a group of Spartanburg citizens and named after Dexter Edgar Converse.

Contents

[edit] History

Converse College opened on October 1, 1889 with a student body of 168 and 16 faculty members. The College operated as a "stock company" with the board of directors composed entirely of citizens of Spartanburg. Dexter Edgar Converse, a native of Vermont who had settled in Spartanburg before the American Civil War and had become a successful pioneer in the cotton mill industry, served as the head of the first board of directors. On January 2, 1892 fire destroyed the College's main building. The building was enlarged during its reconstruction. In 1896, the College was incorporated in South Carolina and a self-perpetuating board of trustees was named. In 1964, the College introduced graduate programs.

[edit] Description

It has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 750 women who come from throughout the United States. The graduate enrollment of approximately 1,200 students is made up of both men and women. Departments

  • Art and Design
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Economics, Accounting, and Business
  • Education
  • English/Creative and Professional Writing
  • Foreign Languages and Literature
  • Health and Physical Education
  • History and Politics
  • Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics
  • Psychology
  • Religion and Philosophy
  • Theatre and Dance
  • Music

[edit] Presidents

Name Years served
Benjamin F. Wilson 1890–1902
Robert Paine Pell 1902–1932
Edward Moseley Gwathmey 1933–1955
Oliver Cromwell Carmichael, Jr. 1956–1960
Robert T. Coleman, Jr. 1961–1989
Ellen Wood Hall 1989–1993
Sandra C. Thomas 1994–1998
Nancy Oliver Gray 1999–2005
Elizabeth A. Fleming 2006—

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf. Retrieved February 22, 2010. 

[edit] External links

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